Susky Pollution

[afishinado]

Just as a side to this article, I stopped wet wading the Susky because of the pollution, but often fish for smallies there in my kayak. During my last trip I had to wade in mid shin deep to launch and retrieve my kayak. As soon as I returned home I jumped into my shower and saw a rash from mid shin to my ankles! Yowee, things are really bad in that river and the article below confirms this.

It turned out that Arway saw it our way, but the "powers that be" showed him the highway. How long can this go on?

Polluted Susquehanna River, tributaries near Harrisburg not fit for swimming or fishing: report

A month-long water sample analysis of some 20 public access points to the Susquehanna River has found high levels of E. coli, prompting one river expert to issue warnings against swimming or fishing.

www.pennlive.com

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Any body of water can contain microscopic stuff that can enter the body via the smallest cut in one's skin. A friend of mine nearly lost a foot to an infection he picked up in the Juniata. My dad contracted and recovered from Erysipelas (aptly nicknamed Queen Anne's Fire) several years ago, although that bacterium may not have come from water. The mid-Atlantic region is warned every summer about waterborne diseases in brackish water that are potentially fatal to humans and dogs. I hope your condition gets better soon, Afish.

 

[afishinado]

Any body of water can contain microscopic stuff that can enter the body via the smallest cut in one's skin. A friend of mine nearly lost a foot to an infection he picked up in the Juniata. My dad contracted and recovered from Erysipelas (aptly nicknamed Queen Anne's Fire) several years ago, although that bacterium may not have come from water. The mid-Atlantic region is warned every summer about waterborne diseases in brackish water that are potentially fatal to humans and dogs. I hope your condition gets better soon, Afish.

Thanks, not a problem, it was a while ago and it cleared up in a couple of days. The point is, the water is really polluted and seems to be getting worse.

 

[Bamboozle]

I hate waders so much, I think I would give up fishing the Susquehanna and maybe wading in general if I had to go back to wearing waders...

However, not that I discount the information or the source, but doesn't anyone get rashes on their arms or hands from releasing fish, etc??

I don't know about the rest of you, but there probably isn't a day when I don't have a cut or three on my hands...

 

[Andrwhite610]

I fish the Susky often in my kayak..generally north of the confluence of the juniata. I did lots of wading last year with no issues but this frightens me…should I not be wet wading above Harrisburg? That seems like a tough thing to resist when those summer smallies are tucked up to the grass islands in a foot or so of water.

 

[Mike]

I couldn’t access the article. Were the samples taken this spring, which has been a wet one, or were they taken over an extended period of time?

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Organic pollution generally means "bad" bacteria, which means your body's immune system will need to kill off the bacteria to prevent long-term ill effects. Rashes are only one of several symptoms that show your body's immune system is doing its job. As a kid, I swam in Greenwood Furnace, Shawnee State Park, Susquehanna, Lake Erie, Black Moshannon, Laurel Hill, Juniata River, Curwensville, and other places (even that nasty Lake Edinboro), and I and don't recall having anything bad happen to my siblings/friends or me because of it. That's not to say that nothing bad will happen to me if I faceplant into a trout stream, or if I hold a wetted leader in my mouth while digging a fly out of my vest.